On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law. On June 28, 2012 the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the health reform law assuring that millions will be able to gain coverage and consumers will have vital protections and benefits under the law. It's a BIG win for my family. For my nephews and nieces who just graduated or soon will graduate from high school, it means they can stay on their parent's health insurance until age 26, affording them the time to finish college and find a job that provides health insurance. It provides me and my adult children, who own their own companies, access to affordable health insurance without being denied for pre-existing condition. My father now can receive his recommended preventive services, including an annual wellness visit without first paying his annual deductible. For the millions of currently-uninsured Americans, the US Supreme Court ruling assures that they will have the opportunity to gain insurance coverage. The National Association of Community Clinics announced that "they were pleased that the Court’s decision reaffirms support for expanding access to health care through the nationwide network of Community Health Centers....meaning that in the years ahead millions of newly insured people will gain access to doctors, nurses and other health care professionals, and the quality, cost-effective primary and preventive services our health centers provide." It is predicted that health centers will see a forty-five percent influx of patients due to the health care reform. Current uninsured patients, now with insurance, will come more often, especially for their preventative services. New patients will opt to go to their local health center for the array of comprehensive services they offer and ease of access. This means that health centers need to prepare and build capacity: more facility space, more providers and supportive staff. A Plan of Action to ready your health center, an internal working document to follow, is what I recommend. It is coming sooner than you think. For California, it may be January 2013 when the Health Exchanges open. Be prepared! See Health Centers Challenged to Meet Capital Needs.

In November 2011, I submitted my last grant as the CEO of Sonoma Valley Community Health Center prior to retiring. As the principal lead with a team of three, we developed and submitted the Affordable Care Act Capital Development - Building Capacity Grant. Six months later HRSA finally made the announcement: Sonoma Valley Community Health Center was awarded $5 million. The application was scored with a 98/100.I am ecstatic. It has been quite a longtime that the health center has been on the journey to build a new facility … It’s an outstanding opportunity to provide health care to more people in Sonoma Valley. In the article "Health Center Gets $5M Grant," posted in the Sonoma Index Tribune dated May 3, 2012, my previous board Chair stated, “This is an important legacy left by our former CEO Patricia Talbot. Without her unwavering faith and commitment to this project, SVCHC would not have been in a position to apply for, much less receive, a grant of this magnitude.”I am definitely proud to have left this legacy and driven these federal dollars intoour community. The project will create an estimate of 112 construction jobs and when the new building is complete, the center will be able to hire an additional 12employees to meet the increased patient demands. A new dental clinic is planned as part of the new facility, bringing dental services finally to the uninsured, Medi-Cal and unserved population in Sonoma Valley. If interested in donating funds to complete the building project go to www.svchc.org or call 707 939-6071, ext. 204.

Patricia Talbot, RN

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